I receive numerous forwards from a variety of sources ranging from good humor, to serious topics, to I’ve seen that before. Usually the ‘I’ve seen that before’ category tends to repeat itself as the internet provides the means for endless echos and bounce-backs of content. It’s amazing the number of circles a single email can make through my inbox!
Today I realized that not everyone is aware of the websites and tools available to help dispell those crazy emails that you find lying around in your email. You’ve been there - you read the email that was forwarded to 22 friends of the sender, and the story is so vivid, yet you can’t quite believe it to be true, but you still send it to your list of friends and coworkers just in case it is true. Haven’t you ever tried to dispell the wives’ tale? All too often these misconceptions or misinterpretations lead to an urban legend flowing vehemently through the bowels of cyberspace.
I want to introduce to you a website that has been around since 1995 aiming to debunk or confirm widely spread urban legends. This website is Snopes. The site provides information about various hoaxes, especially in regard to chain e-mails. For the most part, Snopes does a good job at providing insight to the chain email you may have received. They have a wide variety of topics and if you are just plain bored, you can read about a *random* urban legend. The next time you find an email like this, go check it out at Snopes. I will warn you: the site is paid for by the two content producers (Barbara and David) and so advertisements are in full effect in attempts to recoup the costs of maintaining the site. Be sure you have your pop-up blocker enabled!